The Way It Could Have Happened
by Simon920
Summary: This is how the honeymoon and pregnancy could have happened. Maybe. This story is a collaborative effort by Simon 920 and Memya, Empress of Edit
1. Chapter 1

**The Way It Should Have Happened…**

**Part One  
**

**By Simon920  
**

The breeze was light, the weather perfect, the sky a cloudless and brilliant blue. The sand they were standing on was the color and texture of talcum powder, the only sounds were of the waves lapping gently a dozen feet away and the soft rustle of the palm fronds over their heads. They were in their own private paradise, alone with just each other for company and the freedom to celebrate their two-week-old marriage. This was the stuff dreams were made of. Or it had been until a few moments ago.

The two of them stared at one another. Bella's expression was doubtful and a little frightened mixed with a shy happiness and pride. Edward's expression was pure terror and denial.

"No, you must be mistaken."

"Maybe, but I really think I'm pregnant. I mean, look—I'm throwing up, I'm exhausted all the time, my boo…breasts are sore and I'm getting all these weird cravings for weird food. And we've been—you know what we've been doing—a _lot_. What else can it be?" He shook his head, not wanting to believe it possible. "You, we didn't use anything, did we?"

"Of course we didn't, why would we? This isn't supposed to happen."

Bella managed a shaky laugh. "If I had a nickel for every couple who've ever had that thought."

Edward failed to see the humor and was already hitting the speed dial on his phone, the conversation lasting a bare fifteen seconds, all spoken at vamp speed. "We're leaving, Carlisle will be waiting for us and we'll take care of this. I'll make the reservations, you start packing." He started up to the house.

"Edward?"

He turned, fear obvious on his face. "Bella, you heard me, you know there's no choice in this; you can't possibly think that this—even if it _is_ true and you _are_ in fact pregnant—you know we_—you_ can't do this. I won't let you."

"_Excuse_ me?" She tugged at his hand and, surprisingly, he stopped and faced her. "Of course I can. C'mon, okay, so this wasn't exactly how we planned things but of course we can have a baby. Why can't we? I'm young, I'm healthy and we have Carlisle to help; I'll be fine."

He shook his head 'no'. "We're leaving and Carlisle will explain this to you so that you understand why this can't happen."

Patronize much, Edward? "But…_you_ explain it so I'll understand it."

"Bella, no. _Please_. You're human; I'm a vampire. There are cases on record, precedents of this over the centuries and no one, not one of the women has ever survived. The agonies they endured were beyond anything you can imagine and the infants were, they were…they had to be killed and with good cause. 'Deformed, monstrous things which, had they been allowed to live would have become uncontrollable; killing, murdering…it's been outlawed, banned and to even consider this is enough to bring on a death sentence from the Volturi."

"And so you're taking me back to have Carlisle abort our baby." It was a statement of fact.

He embraced her, trying to comfort the shock, stroking her hair. "Sweetheart, we have no choice. Truly, there is none in this. Please, if nothing else think of me; how would I go on without you? We've had less than two years together from the day we first met, how could I bear to lose you now when it can be so easily prevented? I promise, I _swear_ to you that if you wish a child this much we'll adopt one. Or as many as you want, we will, as soon as we can. But this…it's not possible."

She pulled back an inch or two so that she could look up at his face and see the determination there. He wouldn't be moved, he wouldn't change his mind and if this was as dangerous to her as he said then Carlisle would probably support him and perform the operation himself, probably up in his study converted to an operating room so no one would ask any questions. All right, she couldn't change his mind but she didn't have to just accept this, either.

They climbed the steps to the porch and he paused. "You've never said anything about wanting a child, Bella. Do you or are you coming to this now that you may be carrying one? It this something you've wanted or is this of the moment?"

She sat on the top step, Edward joining her. "Well, I never thought about it before, really. I guess I just assumed that it was something I'd do 'someday' but I wasn't ever one of those girls who lived to have babies or anything. I never even liked them, never liked babysitting or any of that but now that it's happening, I guess I maybe do want it. I mean, it's partly you, too. Don't you want it?"

He sighed, she didn't understand at all. "I stopped thinking about it when I realized that it was impossible for me, as it is for any vampire. I thought you knew what I meant when we discussed that this would be one of the things that you'd have to give up. You said that you were fine with it."

"Obviously that's changed, though. What if we _can_? It could be amazing, Edward. I thought we couldn't and so I accepted that but somehow, if we could, if this could work—and you can always change me if there's a problem, right? I think we should at least try."

"Is it that you're against abortion? Is that the problem?"

"Well, no. Not if there's a reason, like if the mother could die or something but I _can't_ die—we have a fall back, you can just change me and it will be okay so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Please, go back with me today, speak with Carlisle. It's not as simple as you want to believe and he'll have more answers for you than I do. I wish that it was possible, Bella, but that's just not the case."

She nodded to placate him, knowing he'd do what he wanted and there wouldn't be anything gained by arguing.

From the bedroom she could hear Edward on the phone in the living room talking to the airlines for over an hour, finally seeming to get the seats they needed to fly them back to Washington State while she'd packed their clothes. Finishing before he did, she'd gone for a solitary walk down to the beach.

She knew how this was supposed to play out. They'd get back, Carlisle would do his thing, they'd all take extra special care of her and coddle ad spoil her while she recovered, they'd change her and life—such as it was—would go on.

Or not. She took the phone from her pocket.

The call was answered on the first ring. "Hello, Esme?…"


	2. Chapter 2

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part two**

**By Memya, Empress of Edit  
**

"Bella?"

"Yes, Esme, I need your help." Bella replied.

"Carlisle told me the situation, there really is only one thing to be done," she said, the sadness clear in her voice. "I'm sorry."

"I'm having this baby," Bella declared.

"It's forbidden. There really is nothing we can do," Esme stated.

"Well, then, there's something I can do. I won't come home. I'll disappear where none of you can find me and I'll do this myself," she said, petulantly.

"Bella, do you think we don't want to help you? We thought the legends were just that, legends. None of us thought this was possible. Our kind cannot have children."

"But I'm not one of your kind, not yet and I will have it or I don't come home," Bella repeated.

"Bella, you will break Edward's heart," Esme pleaded.

"When I survive and he sees the baby, it will be okay," Bella said, hoping she was right.

There was silence from the other end and then Esme sighed.

"Very well, I will help you and I'll try to convince Carlisle, also. Come home now," she said and Bella closed the phone as Edward came out on the proch.

"We need to hurry," he said, picking up their suitcases. He tried to smile at her but it didn`t reach his eyes. "Let's go."

The boat ride was torture, the heaving waves matching her heaving stomach. Bella held her head over the side, violently ill and then lay still, hoping the rolling in her stomach would cease.

"Look how ill you are already," Edward said, gently wiping her face with a handkerchief. "I can't stand to see you this way."

"Edward, I'm fine. It's a part of having a baby and woman have been doing that for thousands of years," she croaked at him, voice rough from sickness.

"Normal woman with normal babies, not killing monsters that should not exist. I never thought you wanted children. You were so sure you wanted to be what I am, what my family is and we do NOT have children," he said.

"I don't want children. I want OUR child. It's different, you know it is," she insisted.

"I don't know that at all," he said, dejectedly as the boat finally arrived at the dock.

The ride to the airport was terrifying as Edward drove so fast that the scenery was spinning by. Bella closed her eyes, trying to keep the nausea at bay and sleep overtook her.

"We're here," Edward's voice woke her. She was stunned by the flat dead sound of his words, his usually melodic voice subdued by his worry and guilt.

They reached the plane with minutes to spare and settled into their first class seats. .

"Is there anything I can do for you?" the flight attendant suggestively asked Edward.

He scowled at the woman. Didn't she see that his wife wasn't feeling well? He looked over at Bella, pale and disheveled, and felt an agony of guilt. He had to find a way to make her understand.

"Bella," Edward softly began, taking her hand in his. "Please can we talk about it?"

"Not about an abortion. I'm having it," she stubbornly said.

"Please, I can't risk you. It's too dangerous. We should have waited until after the transformation. I thought they were just legends. Had I known . . . "

"Edward, I'll be fine and if not, you can change me. Don't you see? It's a part of you, how can you ask me to kill it?"

"Do you think it's what I want?" he asked, voice rising, raking his hands through his hair. "I'd like nothing more than for us to have a child but this is a monster, a creature that will tear you apart from the inside, that will kill you and if by some miracle you survive the birth, then it will kill you to feed and they're uncontrollable."

"Not our child, Edward," she said. "Our child wouldn't do that, I know."

"When the Volturi hear about it, and they will, they'll come and destroy us all. Immortal children are strictly forbidden, do you understand? If you and it survive the birth, the Volturi will kill all of us. All of us, Jasper and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett. They have no part in this. How can you be so selfish and childish?" he asked, temper flaring.

"Selfish and childish? Selfish and childish?" Bella answered. "I'll tell you who's selfish and childish. You are!" She knew this was in fact a selfish and childish response but she didn't care. She was going to have their baby and he'd better get used to the idea. If it killed her, he could change her and with eight adults to guard it, even if the baby was a wild killing creature, they'd be able to contain it, wouldn't they? She didn't pause to consider that she would also be an uncontrollable newborn who might need watching.

Bella, who had never wanted children, suddenly wanted this child more than anything and she knew once she had it Edward would love it as much as she already did. He was just scared of losing her. She felt a flutter of movement in her abdomen. Already?

Edward was watching her, a look of anguish plain on his face. They'd never spoken so harshly to one another. This was all his fault for loving her when he knew he shouldn't have and giving in to her demand that their first time be when she was still human. All his fault. He had to make her see, to understand, he had to. Maybe Carlisle and Esme would be able to help him.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Three**

**By Simon 920**

The plane landed, taxiing to the gate in the pouring rain. They were back in Washington State, the weather as dismal as both Edward and Bella felt. Disembarking, they saw the entire clan, minus Rosalie, waiting by the baggage claim. The greetings were subdued, the other passengers watching the group of people, clearly a family, who were so much better looking than anyone else anyone had seen. It was almost surreal, the beauty of those people, despite their clear sadness. Though they kept completely to themselves, it was obvious that something was seriously wrong.

The luggage finally loaded onto carts, they headed to the parking areas, Emmett staying close to Edward along with Alice and Jasper as they found the Volvo, Bella being guided by Esme and Carlisle to his Mercedes.

"I want to ride with Bella."

Emmett took his arm, hard. "Ride with us, Edward. C'mon, get in."

Alice's thoughts backed that up, _"Let them speak with her, please, Edward. Let them try."_

He nodded reluctantly and climbed in the front passenger seat, trying not to look at Bella crying again as Esme helped her as she stumbled on the curb.

"She simply doesn't understand. She doesn't think it will come to…she doesn't want to believe the reality of the situation." Edward face was turned towards the woods going by outside in the gray light. "She thinks that even if the worse case were to happen that I could just change her and everything would be all right and everyone will have what they want." He shook his head. "She refuses to listen…"

"She may be right." Alice's voice was quiet but carried the weight of what she'd said.

"You've seen something?" Edward half turned towards the back seat, only reluctantly urging Alice to continue.

"I see the baby being born alive and that you'll try to change Bella at the same time, or right after the birth."

"Try? What does that mean? I won't succeed? There will be some kind of problem?"

It was Alice's turn to look out the window, Jasper holding her hand. "It means just what I said; I see you trying to save her. I can't see whether or not you'll be able to."

"And the baby?"

"I can't see what happens to her, either." He answer was evasive and Edward read her thoughts, against her will. Alice had seen what the likely outcome would be and Edward resumed staring out the window and considered how far he could go along with what had to be done.

The large Mercedes was almost a mile ahead of them with a different conversation going on inside. "Bella, I'm speaking as a doctor now, not your father in law nor as your friend. You may choose not to believe Edward but you know I only want what's best for you. What you're attempting to do is exceedingly dangerous to you, your child and, frankly, to Edward as well."

Bella shook her head; that was ridiculous; after all, _she_ was the one carrying a half-breed vampire, wasn't she? "But Edward isn't in any danger, how could he be?"

Esme spoke softly from the back seat. "Sweetheart, you remember how he was last year when he thought you'd died?"

Bella's eyes were wide; she hadn't considered that possibility, not for a moment. "He wouldn't, he…couldn't. No, Esme, he wouldn't—he promised you when we came home. He told you he'd never do anything like that again."

"Alice sees that as a strong possibility if something should happen to you. Bella, honey, he blames himself for your being pregnant, he feels that he should have either restrained himself or used some sort of protection—he believes that this is his doing and his alone."

"But that's stupid. I mean, we were both…you know. It wasn't just him, not at all." Bella blushed a little at her understatement.

"That may well be true, but he won't ever see it that way. He feels that as he's older—don't forget that while he looks seventeen, he's actually over a hundred years old and he should have known better. He puts this entire situation on himself."

Bella turned her body so that she was half facing Carlisle while he drove. "But he couldn't have known. He said, all of you were telling me all along that vampires can't have children and so we thought that…"

"Yes, you're right but I didn't stop to consider that there's almost no record of human women and male vampires being together. It's almost always been the other way around and even those examples are incredibly rare; less than a dozen through all our records."

"So it's stupid for him to blame himself."

Carlisle sighed; this was getting them nowhere and didn't really matter. "The question now is what we're to do, Bella. I have to emphasize that what you say you want may very well kill you and your child, as well as drive Edward to do something irrational. You have to understand this."

She knew where this was going. "_I won't have an abortion_. I won't—you can't make me, no one can. I want this baby and so does Edward—he's just scared. As soon as it's born you'll all see it'll be all right."

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look in the rear view mirror. "Let's at least wait until we get back to the house and I have a chance to really examine you, all right? No one is making any decisions right now."

The stress and moving car finally getting the better of her, Bella had to quickly beg Carlisle to pull over, her hand covering her mouth. He did so with mere seconds to spare before Bella jerked the door opened and lost everything left in her stomach. Esme got out, using a damp Kleenex to wipe Bella's face and handing her a bottle of water to rinse her mouth. The other car saw them along the side of the road and pulled over, Edward having read their minds and knowing the problem as soon as his parents did. He was beside her in moments. "Bella, are you…what can I do?"

"I'm fine. Really. Let's just get there, all right?" The stop was a short one, but long enough to bring home the severity of the situation before everyone got back in their respective cars to finish the trip.

They rode in silence for another ten miles or so before Esme asked; "Do your parents know?"

"No, I haven't had a chance to tell anyone yet." They were all quiet for the rest of the ride. Finally they pulled off the road onto the long driveway leading up to the big house, the rain had finally stopped and the late afternoon sun was trying to come out. Emmett pulled the Volvo directly around to the garage while Carlisle parked by the front, making it easier for Bella to get inside.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Four**

**By memya, Empress of Edit **

Carlisle immediately ushered Bella upstairs for an exam, Edward glumly following along, clearly terrified of what they'd confirm.

"Let's see what we can find out," Carlisle said, putting his stethoscope against the swelling of Bella's abdomen. "Strong steady heartbeat."

Bella smiled, clutching her stomach protectively.

"Have you felt it move?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, on the plane on the way home," Bella answered, noting the look of horror on Edward's face.

"You didn't tell me that," he murmured, his eyes accusing.

"You didn't ask," she snapped back.

Edward was shocked by the angry look on her face.

Carlisle took some measurements of her expanded belly.

"The little we know about these pregnancies is that they are greatly accelerated. You measure at perhaps three months right now. If we are going to do anything, it should be in the next day or two at the latest, otherwise it will become too dangerous," Carlisle stated.

"There is nothing to be done," Bella asserted.

"It's been a long day for both of you. Why not get a good night's rest and we'll talk about it in the morning?" he suggested.

"I won't change my mind," she insisted.

"Please, Bella, you need to rest," Edward pleaded and she allowed him to lead her up to his, now their room. He waited while she prepared for bed and pulled the covers around her, then sat on the leather sofa.

"You aren't coming to bed?" she asked.

"No," Edward answered.

"Because you're angry?" she asked, voice trembling.

"No, I'm exercising a little self-control which I should have done to begin with and you would not be in this condition," he said, not looking at her, his head in his hands.

"Bella, can we please talk about this rationally and reasonably?" he asked.

"I am being rational. All of you with your gloom and doom. You don't know what this baby will do. You don't. None of you do,"

"Bella, this much I do know. No one survives giving birth to a half-vampire child. There isn't any record at all of anyone surviving. Think about it. If you won't have concern for yourself, please think of me. I can't live without you. I tried and I can't. Please, at least consider not having it," he begged her.

"No. It's our child. I will be fine," she insisted. "Now, come to bed."

"No."

"I need you to be here with me," she pleaded.

"Don't ask that of me. As long as you are human, I won't touch you again," he stated, leaving no room for argument.

"But it's not like you're going to get me pregnant...please?"

"I think I've done more than enough, don't you?"

He heard her begin to cry and wanted to go to her, comfort her but he couldn't. His inability to resist her had led them to this point, the point where she might die. No. Never again. Not until after.

To tune out the sound of her crying, he tried listening in on his various family members. He hated not allowing them privacy but he needed to know who was on his side and who was not. He heard Emmett's thoughts loud and clear.

'Sure, Rose is upset but if I can just get her out of here for a few weeks, maybe another honeymoon. Yeah, if I can get her alone and have sex for three or four days straight, she should be calm enough to come back home. Wonder where she'd like to go this time. Heck, it doesn't really matter, all we need is a room with a bed. Anywhere would do'

Edward tried to listen to Rosalie but all he could get of her thoughts was Bella and a white hot fury that was beyond reasonable thought.

Jasper's thoughts were clear. 'Bella should have never come here. I knew from the moment he saved her from that van that she'd bring about the destruction of all of us. I can't blame Edward for loving who he loves but it would have been better for everyone if I'd quietly taken care of her then or at the birthday party. This endangers us all.' The tension in the house is physically painful for him.

Carlisle is thinking only of the medical questions involved, going over whether or not he has the necessary supplies for the surgery and Esme. Edward was shocked. She was thinking of the loss of her own child which led to her suicide attempt and thinking she couldn't survive the loss of another child, even one that could kill them all. He wondered if Carlisle knew she was feeling that way.

Finally, he dared to peek into Alice's busy mind. He could see flashes of Bella, round with the child, writhing in agony as the light slowly faded from her eyes. He saw the creature born, tearing and chewing it's way out of her. He saw Bella lying in a pool of blood. He saw another vision of Bella as a crazed newborn. What did they all mean?

The night hours dragged by and he could do nothing but wait. Bella, restless, barely slept, but neither did she ask for him, still stung by his anger and rejection earlier. Finally, shortly after dawn, Emmett, tired of trying to convince Rosalie to go away with him, came and asked him to go hunting with Jasper and him. Jasper needed to get away from all the emotions for a while and Emmett could tell yesterday when he looked at Edward's black eyes that his brother needed to feed. It would be good for all of them and maybe together they could formulate some type of plan.

Bella woke in the morning, feeling miserable, missing Edward in the bed beside her. 'Once the baby's born, things will be fine again' she told herself, then got up and started downstairs to get something to eat. She got only as far as Rosalie's room. The beautiful blond vampire had been waiting to get Bella alone and pulled her into the room.

"How dare you put all of us in danger?" Rosalie screamed. "Edward should have killed you the first time he smelled your freesia scented blood. One less human in a world of humans. One less would have made no difference. Do you have any idea what you've done to our lives, just by being a part of Edward's? How life has had to revolve around you? The things we've done for you and it started just after you two started together."

"Rosalie," Bella tried to stop her.

"All the running and chasing with James and for what? You end up walking right up to him, like a carry-out meal. Emmett, Jasper, Alice, they all risked their very existence to save you, for Edward."

"I know," Bella said.

"We had to leave town because of you. Do you think we enjoy starting over again and again? We'd just gotten really settled here, people accepting us, but then we had to leave because Edward was involved with you and he couldn't stay away from you and he couldn't be with you anymore. So we all left, rearranged all our lives for you. Only to have it all unravel because you got back together again."

Bella tried to leave but Rosalie still held her by the arm.

"As if that wasn't enough we then had to take on a whole army of newborns. Have you any idea how dangerous that was? No, of course not, you weren't there. Why? Because you had to be taken away and protected, leaving us to save you, without Edward even there to help us because you couldn't stand the thought that anything could happen to him. How do you think the rest of us felt? Do you think I love Emmett any less than you love Edward? That Jasper loves Alice less than Edward loves you? What about Esme and Carlisle? They've made a life, loved us as their children and you were willing to risk all of us!! We should have let Victoria take you and torture you to death. I couldn't have cared less."

"Please," Bella whined.

"But all of that pales next to this? She pointed at Bella's slightly rounded stomach. "We'll all die for this. All of us. You won't survive and neither will the baby. Did you not listen at all when we said being a vampire means you won't be having children? Did that mean nothing to you? Who do you think you are? You chose Edward, didn't you? Or was that just a choice until something else came along that you wanted more? You cannot endanger all of us with this . . . this . . . thing that's inside you. You'll kill us all and I'm not going to stay here to watch it happen. Emmett and I are leaving. Satisfied?"

Bella's tears finally spilled over as she ran blindly from the room, wanting to go somewhere, anywhere, she could be alone with her thoughts. No one understood how much this baby meant to her, how much she must have it. She was running up the stairs to her bedroom when she missed a step, landing flat on her belly as she began to roll down the steps, being battered and bruised. She went down two flights, ending in a heap at the bottom and feeling something tearing inside her. She moaned in pain as the widening pool of blood spread around her and she lost consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Five  
**

**By Simon 920**

Esme heard the sound of falling at the same time Rosalie jumped down the two flights of solid, uncarpeted wood stairs. In moments Carlisle, and the three women, Alice, Esme and Rosalie were kneeling by Bella at the foot of the staircase. The girl was unconscious and the smell of human blood was becoming strong as the small pool under her hips grew larger second by second.

Carlisle quickly checked her pulse, heartbeat and breathing then carefully and gently picked her up and lay her on the kitchen table.

"Carlisle?" Esme looked at him, horrified. Alice covered her mouth and nose and Rosalie hung as far back as she could. "She may be losing the baby; Esme, help me. Alice and Rose, see if you can get the boys back; Edward should be here."

"They're not answering their phones." She held hers, a look of frustration on her face. Either the others had forgotten theirs, weren't answering—which was unlikely, or the batteries were dead or they were in a pocket of poor reception. Without pausing she simply went out to find them somewhere on the hundreds of square miles they could be. She didn't tell anyone what she'd seen happening; there was no point and Carlisle knew the likely outcome anyway.

Esme did what she could to help, but the blood overpowered her within minutes. "Go, it's all right. I can handle this." Carlisle glanced at her. "It's what I do and you're not used to this. I'll be fine."

"What about Bella? If something happens to her Edward will never…"

"I know." He was concentrating on his patient. "Go." It was said softly; he knew how difficult this was for Esme. He bent to his work.

Out in the woods Alice was trying to contact Edward mentally but he didn't seem to hear her and she was becoming more frustrated by the second as she moved through all their usual hunting areas.

***

The crisis didn't take long, Carlisle was sitting by the bed in Edward's room after he'd moved her up there an hour or so ago. She was asleep; or rather she was still sedated. He sat quietly, worried about her and how she and Edward would react when they learned what had happened and why. The three young men weren't back yet, nor was Alice and he was starting to become concerned; Edward wouldn't have gone far with Bella pregnant and upset. His brothers were sensitive to the situation and would have done whatever they could to offer support; they would have stayed close and should have been on the alert for a call asking they to come back. This was odd and worrisome.

"How is she?" Esme stood silently beside his chair, he'd been so distracted he hadn't noticed her come in.

"Her vitals are strong but she hasn't come out of the anesthesia yet. It shouldn't be to much longer now."

"Are you going to tell her or wait for Edward to do it?"

"I don't know, we'll see. Have you heard from them yet?" He'd been through this sort of thing countless times over his centuries of medical work, but never with a member of his own family. This was…difficult.

Esme nodded. "Alice called and said that they were on their way in, they should be here any moment."

"Does he know? Did she tell him?"

"I don't think so."

***

Alice had found them nearly a hundred and fifty miles from the house, sitting on the edge of a high cliff, relaxed and full after a successful hunt. Edward was immediately on his guard when he saw her walking over. "What's happened?" He was in an instant panic.

"She fell, Carlisle is with her."

His face went several shades whiter than his usual pale and he was gone before the others could even stand up, following him as he ran at full speed back. It took them almost an hour to make the trip through the dense forests with Edward leading by several miles and not pausing until he was inside the house and in his own room. He stared at Bell, lying unconscious and pale, seeming to barely be breathing.

"Tell me."

Carlisle didn't bother looking up or even turning. "She fell on the stairs, the placenta separated and she was bleeding heavily. I performed an emergency c-section but the fetus was without oxygen too long and…" He shook his head. "I've managed to stop the bleeding and she should recover in a few weeks." He paused, searching for the right words and knowing there weren't any. "I'm sorry, Edward, that's the best I could do. The damage was too extensive… I'm sorry."

He just stood there, stunned and speechless. Esme moved over and put her arm around his waist, pulling him close. "She'll be all right, you heard Carlisle, Edward. She's going to be fine."

"How did this happen?" She was clumsy, they all knew that, she could have tripped, slipped on the polished wood, missed her footing. It would be like her. When no one answered he looked at the others, now all close in the smallish room. "How?"

"She fell."

"You said that, _how_ did she fall?" Of course. "Where's Rosalie?"

"She's downstairs cleaning up after the…she's finishing in the kitchen."

That wasn't like her, not at all. Rose couldn't stand to be near human blood and it was out of character for her to be this helpful when it involved something she'd rather avoid. "Did they argue, was Bella upset?"

The silence was answer enough. Edward could see how it had happened; an argument, Bella running to get away and falling. The fall had caused internal damage and had led to…this. "Does Bella know?" God, how would he tell her? Rose could wait, his wife came first but Rose would answer for this and he'd see to it that she never came close to Bella again, no matter what it took, he'd make sure of that.

Just then Bella started to stir slightly, moving her arms and softly groaning. Edward knelt by her and took her hand, speaking softly and doing what little he could to ease her. "Is she in pain?"

Carlisle added something to her IV and she settled back. "She won't wake for at least another hour, call me at once if anything happens but she'll recover and be fine, I promise she will." The family left the two of them alone, gave them some privacy.

Down in the kitchen Rosalie stood motionless by the large window, staring at nothing. It was true that she disliked Bella and thought Edward had made a mistake with his own life which endangered all of them but she'd never intended for anything like this to happen. She also knew that everyone would blame her and she wasn't sure how to deal with that. Obviously she and Emmett would have to leave for a few years or a decade or so but this would pass. It would just take time.

Later, up in Edward and Bella's room he watched as she slowly woke. "Edward?" He bowed his head over her hand and kissed it, bringing her fingers to his lips. "The baby?"

He glanced at her and dropped his eyes, unable to meet hers.

"Edward?" He heard the fear in her voice. "The damage was too great. Carlisle did everything he could but he couldn't…" He didn't finish, moving to hold her as she started to cry.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Six  
**

**memya, Empress of Edit **

"The baby's....gone?" Bella asked, almost too quiet to hear.

"I'm so sorry. I should have been here. I should..." He couldn't think of anything else to say to her.

"What was it?" she asked.

"A girl," he answered, still unable to meet her eyes.

"A daughter. I was so sure...."

"Carlisle says you should heal just fine," Edward told her softly.

"How soon can we try again?" she asked in a stronger voice.

Edward stared at her, meeting her eyes for the first time. She still wanted a baby, even after everyone told her what would happen, after everything they'd just been through. He was beginning to believe that maybe he didn't know her after all. Maybe she didn't even know herself. She was only eighteen, after all.

"We can't," he finally answered.

"You just said I'll be fine. So we can try again," she stated.

"No, we can't," Edward repeated.

"Why? Because you all think it would be too dangerous? I was doing fine. I`m just clumsy, you know that." Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she jerked her hand out of his grasp. "You could have saved her but you and Carlisle decided to make the decision for me, didn't you?"

"No, of course not," Edward said, shocked that she could think he or Carlisle would ever do such a thing. Maybe it was an after-effect of the anesthesia, that she just wasn't thinking straight. "I told you. Carlisle did everything he could The fall..." He saw the look that crossed her pale features.

"You didn't want to save her, though," she said, a frown forming between her eyes as she studied his face. "I don't believe you."

"Bella, how can you say that?" he asked, stunned by her statement. "Carlisle would never purposely do something to harm you. And, surely you know I wouldn't, I couldn't do something to hurt you."

"I . Do . Not . Believe . You," she repeated.

He sat back in his chair, not knowing what to say. How could she say such a thing? Didn't she know his heart was breaking the same as hers? He wanted to give her everything she wanted from life, even giving immortality though it pained him to do so but it was what she wanted or what she'd said she wanted. How could she think he would have allowed their child to be destroyed? That he would have agreed to that?

Tears were gently rolling down her cheeks, soaking into the pillow below her head. He reached out to comfort her, to hold her but she rolled on her side, away from him.

"Leave me alone," she said, in a flat voice. "Just go."

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, touching her lightly on the shoulder, trying to connect with her. She twitched herself away from his touch.

"Leave . Me . Alone."

"Bella, I'm sorry," he said and he sat on the couch, watching her. Maybe she didn't want him here, but he'd stay here just the same. Where was he supposed to go? He didn't want to be with his family right now. He couldn't look at Rosalie, not now. Not ever if he had anything to say about it. But that would wait for later.

Carlisle came quietly in the room.

"Is she sleeping?" he asked, so quickly and quietly that Bella's human ears couldn't pick it up.

Edward shrugged. Carlisle put a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave a small squeeze, sitting beside him.

"Has she been awake?" Carlisle asked, too soft for Bella`s human ears to pick up.

Edward nodded.

"You told her about the baby?" Carlisle questioned, gently, not wanting to bring up the subject but needing to know to properly care for his patient.

Edward nodded again, then turned his anguished eyes to Carlisle. The shock and hurt were so evident on his son's face that he felt an almost physical reaction to it. Edward had been devastated when he'd left Bella, after the fiasco of the birthday party but, even then, he'd never seen such utter despair on his son's perfect features. The loss of the child was a great loss but he thought there was something else here, something he didn't understand.

"Let's take a walk. She'll likely sleep for awhile and we can talk without disturbing her or any of the family hearing us," Carlisle suggested. Edward watched Bella sleeping for a moment, sitting motionless, then, nodded and followed him down the stairs and outside, ignoring the curious glances of his family. A silent message, born of years of being together and reading one another's expressions, passed between Carlisle and Esme and after a moment she followed them out.

Carlisle and Edward trod silently through the woods together. Carlisle could see what an effort it was taking for Edward to hold his emotions in. He was able to treat any ailment of the body but he wasn't sure what to do to mend the heart. Finally, he broke the silence.

"Son, what is it? Bella's going to be fine, I assure you. She's young, strong," Carlisle asserted.

"She doesn't believe me. She thinks we purposely didn't save the baby. She thinks... she thinks..." Edward dropped to his knees, head in his hands, and tearless sobs tore through his body. Carlisle knelt by his side, saying what he could to comfort him, hoping Esme might hear them and feeling relief when he heard her quick light tread on the forest floor.

"Edward," Esme said, dropping to her knees beside him and cradling him in her arms. She sat with him, rocking him slowly, speaking softly, giving him what comfort she could, her youngest and oldest son at the same time. He finally quieted, sitting limply against a tree truck.

"What can I do?" he asked, hoping there was something that would make everything okay again, something that would bring back the girl he'd known before... was it only yesterday??? Before the baby that shouldn't have even been created. It was all his fault.

Guilt and sorrow warred within him. He shouldn't have come back, no matter what his brothers said. He knew he must stay away from her now, more than ever. He knew how stubborn she could be and she wanted another baby. He had told her he wouldn't touch her again while she was human and he would keep that promise but he knew he would have to get far away from her to keep it. As soon as she was well, he'd leave or he'd insist she went away for awhile, maybe to visit her mother and when she came back, they`d all be gone. And this time, it would be a clean break. She could go to college, resume her life. If she didn't want him anymore, then he'd do what she asked. He'd leave her alone.

"Edward," Esme said, wiping the hair back from his face, "just be there for her. Care for her, talk with her. She isn't herself just now."

"But that's just it," he said, trying to explain, "she told me to leave her alone. I've never seen her like this, since she became pregnant, she's behaved like someone I don't even know."

"She's just lost a child she wanted very badly. It will take time to heal," Esme said, a faraway look in her eyes. She was thinking of her own lost child, imagining holding it in her arms, feeding it, singing to it. Edward wondered if Carlisle realized how very badly she still missed her child.

Edward raised his eyes to his parents, not wanting to tell them the rest but knowing he had to tell them.

"She wants to try again," he said, disgust clear in his voice.

"No, she mustn't do that," Carlisle said. "I'll speak to her. As a doctor, surely

she'll listen to me."

He stood up and began pacing. Carlisle and Esme watching him closely, aware that he was near the edge, knowing he would take all the responsibility for Bella's pain and heartache on himself.

"I don't think so. I've never met anyone as determined as Bella once she makes up her mind. She wants another baby.......of mine!!" he whispered, anguish flowing through his taut words.

"You can't," Carlisle began.

"I know that!" Edward said, his long stride carrying him back and forth. "I'd already decided before she lost the baby that I wouldn't.....that we....... until after she's been changed." Had he been capable of blushing, his face would have been scarlet red, he was so embarrassed to have to discuss this subject with his parents but he wanted them to know how determined he was to keep his wife safe, even from himself.

He stopped still, a frown creasing between his brows. He didn`t know how he would survive it but if she wanted a child more than she wanted him, he`d find the strength to let her go. He squared his shoulders, decision made.

"I'm going back in to sit with her," he said, voice calm but with a note of despairing finality. He turned and walked, dejectedly, back through the trees.

Although they couldn't read each other minds like their son could, a silent communication passed between Carlisle and Esme. Their lovely family was fracturing. It was even now possibly beyond repair. Although Bella had fallen, the upset that precipitated it had been all Rosalie's fault. With Edward's ability, he likely already knew the circumstances of his wife's injury and who knew what was going to happen when he confronted Rosalie.

Emmett had been trying yesterday without success to get Rose to leave before the newlyweds arrived home. Edward's phone call had brought out a rage in Rosalie that they had not witnessed since she had awakened as a newborn and taken her vengeance on those who had killed her.

Not able to convince her to leave, they had been assured by Rosalie and Emmett as well as Alice, that Bella would be safe here with them. Maybe it would be best if they could get Emmett and Rose to go away for a week or a year or a decade and do it quickly but Rosalie was insisting she had to talk to Edward first, to explain what had happened. Alice, with her foresight, was quick to point out what a very bad idea that was.

Why hadn't Alice seen it happening? Because it had been a split-second decision on Rose's part. She'd seen Bella walking past and had suddenly wanted to confront her. By the time the vision appeared to Alice it was far too late to change anything.

The two of them looked at their son`s retreating back, took one another's hand and walked slowly home.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Seven**

**Simon920  
**

Edward heard the conversation before he entered the kitchen and paused to eavesdrop. Emmett and Jasper were in there, just the two of them speaking too low for a human to hear but since that wasn't a problem... "I said it from the start of this thing, that he shouldn't have gotten involved with a human. You know I said it and you agreed with me and now we've got a big mess to deal with and you know as well as I do that the golden boy won't have to lift a finger to help clean up this mess he's caused."

"Emmett, c'mon, that's not fair. He loves her and she's in love with him, too. What were they supposed to do?"

"Face reality for a start." Edward heard something smash, probably a glass. "None of us ever got involved with a human—you haven't, I haven't and neither has Carlisle and we're just fine. We all met women and we're all happy. Edward just can't toe the line and this time it's come back to bite him in the ass."

"The women up in Denali all go for human men and they're all right."

"C'mon, Jasper, they're just man hungry and can't be bothered to be picky."

"It would help if you took Rosalie out of here for a while so Edward doesn't decide to kill her, you know. 'Maybe relieve some of the tension."

"Jasper, my friend, you know Rosie—you really think she'd agree to that? She hasn't really cottoned up to our newest sister and would be just as happy if she fell off a cliff. You want to try talking to her?"

Edward saw Jasper shake his head by listening in on Emmett's thought and looking through his eyes. "Do Edward or Bella know that it was the fight Rosalie started that upset Bella so much she tripped down the stairs?"

"I don't think so. What does Alice see happening?" Emmett was hoping for good news but the look on Jasper's face gave the lie to that.

"She won't tell me but I know she's not counting on a happy ending."

That was enough, Edward walked through the kitchen door and stared down his brothers. "And just what is it that Alice does see, Jasper? You want to share with us?" His glare was impressive but Jasper had seen worse in the last one hundred and fifty years and wasn't intimidated.

"You're intelligent, Edward, you knew this had long odds when you got involved." Jasper wasn't about to rise to the bait.

Emmett, always honest if not always tactful pushed himself upright from where he'd been leaning against the counter. "You should have killed her when you had the chance, bro, that's all we're saying. Now we've got a mess to deal with."

Edward snarled and was about to spring when Jasper spread some calming vibes around the room, causing both of his brothers to take a mental step back. "Both of you, take it easy. Maybe we can come up with a solution if we talk this out."

Edward turned the glare on him. "I assume your solutions, Jasper, would consist of me and Bella moving to New Hampshire for a few years or would you prefer to simply call in one of your non-vegetarian friends for dinner?"

"Yeah, well, that may not be such a bad idea, bro. Look, I know how you feel about her but it's been one thing after another since you hooked up and, frankly, it's getting tired."

Edward regarded Emmett; he knew this was getting out of hand and he wanted to diffuse this before they said things that couldn't be easily dismissed as spoken in the heat of the moment—they were still family and he didn't want that to change if at all possible. "The easiest thing would be for you and Rosalie to take another extended honeymoon, don't you think? Then everyone else can go on about their lives while Rose cools off."

"I'm trying, bro, believe me but it ain't as easy as it sounds, okay? I'm working on it."

In that second Edward picked up a thought from another part of the house; Rosalie was headed up the second floor stairs to his and Bella's room and…

Edward moved as fast as he could and managed to intercept Rose just as she had her hand on the doorknob. "It's considered polite to knock first."

She barely reacted and gave nothing away, trying to shield her thoughts just as Alice called up from the second floor landing. "Edward! Keep her away from Bella!"

He saw her thoughts and knew what she had in mind. His hand darted out and grasped her wrist, spinning her around and against the wall. "Don't."

"This is all _your_ fault, Edward, we all tried to talk you out of this but you wouldn't listen. It's so like you, always convinced you're right, smarter than anyone else, always two jumps ahead of us all and doing whatever you want no mater who you hurt."

"Rosalie, this isn't your problem and I'm dealing with it, so is Carlisle and it's going to work out just fine. Stay out of this."

"Not if you don't turn her and you know it."

"I'm going to, that's been the plan all along." He saw Emmett silently appear by Rosalie's side and put his arm around her as a partial restraint. Jasper and Alice were half way up the stairs, holding back but close in case they were needed. Edward read his parents thoughts and knew they were just coming in the front door, having made some kind of decision about the situation that involved Bella's parents and a trip for Bella to get over the loss and away from Forks for a little while. Speaking softly and quickly at vamp-speed, he told her everything but…

"That won't solve this, Edward. Bella has to be turned or she has to be eliminated. You know—we all know she's putting us all in danger! We've been through more than enough because of her and it's all your doing."

Just then the bedroom door opened, Bella still shaky from the surgery as she stood there for a long second before stepping closer to Edward, looking at all the others and clearly wondering what was going on. Stubbing her bare toe on nothing, she stumbled with Edward catching her before she could fall, her arms accidentally scratched by one of his fingernails.

It all happened quickly; Rosalie smelled the blood and suddenly lunged for her throat, breaking free from Emmett as Jasper jumped to save Bella from his sister. Rose stiff-armed him, forcing him down and left just as Emmett regrabbed her from behind and pulled her clear. Edward, his arms full of Bella couldn't react a Jasper flew towards them, his eyes changing as he, too, smelled the blood. Alice tried to prevent him from reaching his target but was overpowered by his superior strength as he slammed her back over the rail and down to the main floor.

Carlisle and Esme were up on the landing just in time to see Jasper's teeth latch onto Bella's throat as she started to scream.


	8. Chapter 8

**The way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Eight**

**Memya, Empress of Edit**

The sound of Bella's screams hung in the air for an instant of silence as all the vampires reacted to the situation.

Edward immediately leaped at Jasper, trying to pull him off Bella who's screams were silenced as she lost consciousness, pleading "Help me, Edward," as her eyes closed.

"Don't!" Carlisle shouted at Edward, then said more quietly. "His teeth will tear her throat out. You can't force him off her, he must let go on his own."

Emmett began to wrestle Rosalie toward the stairs, hoping to get her either outside or to their bedroom where he could help her calm down but there was such a crowd on the landing he wasn`t having much success. He knew she had no love for Bella but he never imagined she might actually have it in her to harm her. He was looking at her and thinking maybe he was really seeing her for the first time. He felt as if he didn't know his wife, whom he'd been with for more than seventy years.

Alice, uninjured by the fall but momentarily dazed, finally got to her feet and, with her vampiric hearing, was aware of what was occurring upstairs and sped up to where Jasper was slowly killing Bella.

Carlisle was talking urgently to Jasper, who's eyes were unfocused with blood lust as Edward, still holding on to Bella, was watching her face become steadily more pale from the blood loss.

Esme looked from Emmett to Carlisle, trying to decide where her help would be most beneficial, finally deciding to help Emmett with Rosalie, who was shouting that this was not her fault and for Emmett to take his hands off her and they wrestled her away from the scene as Alice arrived, having run up the stairs so quickly as to be almost invisible. She stood for a fraction of a second, taking in the scene, then moved toward Jasper.

She walked up behind Jasper and lay the weight of her tiny body across his back, wrapping her arms softly about his shoulders and pressing herself tightly to him. She began to speak softly in his ear.

"Jasper, baby, it's Alice. Listen to me. You have to stop now. You have to let go."

There was no response from Jasper, so intent on drinking Bella's blood that, at the moment , there was nothing else in the world except for Jasper and the hypnotic draw of the liquid quenching his thirst.

Alice snaked her arms a little further around him, still just holding him, not trying to pull him away.

"Jasper, I know how good that tastes but it's Bella you have there. You remember Bella, our sister, Edward's wife? You don't want to kill her, honey, you don't want to do that. You've done so well for so long and I know I'm asking the impossible but I know you're strong enough, baby. I know you are," Alice crooned into his ear, almost the way you would talk to a small child or a frightened animal.

"Carlisle," Edward begged, "do something. He's killing her."

"Alice is trying, Edward. It's all we can do now, just hope she's successful," Carlisle said.

"Shhh," Alice hissed at both of them. "I'm trying to concentrate." She slid her arms farther around Jasper's neck, her tiny fingers just below his chin.

"Baby, you have to let go now. For me, do it for me. I love Bella and she's my best friend. I need her Jasper and Edward needs her. You have to stop now. Please honey, stop," and she slowly slid her hands up his throat and over his firm jaw line, resting them lightly on his cheeks. "I'll help you, okay? We'll do this together, just like we do everything. You help me when I need it and I help you, right? Together?"

She was easing her fingers infinitesimally closer to his mouth as she was speaking and finally managed to slowly slide one small hand between Bella's neck and Jasper's teeth, easing him free of Bella who slumped lifeless in Edward's arms. Jasper turned in Alice's arms and looked down at her, his dark red eyes confused and sad. Alice took his hand and led him down the stairs and out the door, away from the scene of his loss of control.

"Carlisle, hurry, I can get the venom out," Edward said, picking Bella up and hurrying to put her in their bed. He was ready to place his own lips against her throat to try to pull Jasper's deadly venom from her but Carlisle stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't Edward, it's too late."

"NO!" Edward said, shrugging the restraining hand away. "I was able to bring her back once. I'll do it again!"

"This time you can't and even if you could, you shouldn't," Carlisle said quietly. "It's time to make a decision about this. You can't fix it this time."

"I can! You don't know that!" Edward insisted again starting to put his lips to her neck.

This time Carlisle forcefully pulled him away from Bella. "It's too late for that. When James bit her, it was simply a bite and nothing more. Jasper has drained her of a great deal of blood. For you to pull out the venom, you'd have to remove more blood and her heart won't take it, not on top of the blood loss from surgery. I tell you, son, it's too late. You will kill her if you try."

Edward blinked at him, realization of the situation finally sinking in.

"Now, you can either let the transformation begin and hope her heart is up to the task with what she has left or. . . " Carlisle left the thought hanging in the air.

"Or she just simply dies," Edward finished, a note of finality in his voice. He sank down on the leather sofa.

"I can help her some," Carlisle offered. "To make the transition maybe a bit quicker but you need to decide now. Either she changes or she dies."

"How can you even ask? Of course change her, please. Now," Edward said, anguished and Carlisle bent over Bella, quickly biting her ankles and wrists, hoping it wasn't too late.

Edward watched with a terrible sense of remorse. Bella would never have a child now. Even though he had believed from the first moment he'd realized there was a child growing, that is was completely wrong and would bring nothing but destruction, even so, he had been torn by wanting to give Bella everything she wanted and wanted to protect her and make her see reason. Would she ever be able to forgive him? Would he be able to forgive Jasper? Or Rosalie, who was the start of it all? Had she not confronted Bella about the baby, none of this would have happened. He wanted to kill her. If Bella didn't survive, he would kill her, knowing that Emmett would then kill him. He wouldn't care if he died if Bella didn't survive. He wouldn't want to live if Bella didn't survive. What would all this mean for his family? How would they all live together now? After this? No, they couldn't stay together now. There was just no way and it was all his fault. If only he'd been able to stay away from Bella. When he'd first caught the scent of her blood, he left and he should have stayed away, maybe taken up with Tanya, even though his heart wasn't really in it. At least, Bella and his family would have been all right. The guilt he felt was overwhelming, strangling him. Even though his lungs didn't need air to breathe, he suddenly felt as if he were suffocating under the weight of his despair. He dropped his head into his hands.

Carlisle had finished with Bella and sat beside Edward. She let out one tiny moan but was otherwise motionless and silent. Now they would just wait and see whether or not she died or transformed.

* * * * * * * *

Downstairs, Esme was in Rosalie and Emmett's bedroom, trying to convince Rosalie that they must leave.

"Rosalie," Esme said, "you're going to have to take some responsibility for what has just happened. I think it would be best for you both to leave for a time."

"How long?" Rosalie asked, eyes narrowing. "And why should we leave? Why not Edward and Bella? I have as much right to be here as they do."

"Rose, be reasonable," Emmett said." If Bella survives, she ain't gonna be going anywhere for awhile. You know that. It'll be years. They have to stay here."

"Well, I'm not going," Rosalie said, folding her arms. "It's just more Edward drama. I swear I liked him better lonely and sad. At least, we were all able to exist together without constant tension. I hate it. This is as much his fault as mine; he's the one who insisted on bringing her here."

"More reason to go then. Take the high road, diffuse the situation," Emmett suggested.

"No," she argued. "He can go."

"Rosalie!" Esme said, raising her voice, an extremely rare occurrence. "I will not make you go but I'd prefer if you did. The next few years are going to be difficult for Edward and while we could use Emmett's strength I'm sure during Bella's newborn year, I would gladly be without it for some peace. You've been against Edward and Bella from the moment they met and I'm sick of it. You forget that Emmett was also human when you found him. You are no different and certainly no better than your brother. So either get with the plan or get out. You can either accept both of them or leave my home and don't come back."

"Don't come back?" Rosalie seemed to suddenly realize that, for once, this wasn't about her or what she wanted. She turned to Emmett. "What should we do? I will apologize to them both. I know that won't change anything but I'll try."

"I think it won't matter either way until we know if Bella survives. If she does, you may have a chance, otherwise, I say we hightail it out of here," Emmett replied.

"Whatever you do, stay away from Edward, Rose," Esme insisted.

* * * * * * * *

Alice led Jasper out of the house, visions flashing through her mind so quickly she couldn't keep up with them. In one she saw Bella dead, another transformed into a blood-thirsty out of control newborn, another she was standing over the bloodied bodies of several humans. None of the visions brought her any peace of mind.

Jasper hadn't met her eyes since she'd looked at his blood red pupils, shame filling him. How could he have done that? He'd felt Bella's terror as he planted his teeth in her flesh and all he did was send her the sensation to relax. How could he? After years of battling every day with himself, it had all been for nothing. How can he even begin to ask for Edward or Bella's forgiveness? He couldn't face them.

But, he still had the taste of her in his mouth, her sumptuous blood had been worth it, the monster inside him said. It was better than anything he could have imagined, worth the years of denying himself. Stop it! It wasn't worth it. It wasn't. What would he and Alice do now? They likely would have to leave here, the only home they'd ever had. Would Alice even be willing to go with him?

He thought of Victoria and James. Would they become like them? Wild? Homeless wanderers? He was afraid to look at her, afraid to meet her eyes but he had to do it. Years of being a soldier meant he faced up to what must be done.

They'd now walked several miles from the house and he stopped, sitting on a convenient boulder. Alice perched beside him.

"Well," Jasper said quietly, "do you want to stay with me or should I just go?" He lifted his red eyes to her finally, hoping to see love and understanding but fearing he would see disgust from the one person in the world he loved above all others. He had to find a way to make it right for her if nothing else.

Alice reached up and placed one tiny hand against his face, wordlessly telling him that no matter what, they were together.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Nine**

**Simon920**

There was nothing to do but wait.

Wait to see if the change would occur.

Wait to see if Bella would survive the transformation.

Wait to see if Rosalie and Emmett would make things easier for everyone by leaving for a few years.

Wait to see if Jasper would be able to accept that no one really blamed him for what happened, knowing the situation and the fact that Rose had been the real cause of the incident. Even if she blamed Edward for bringing Bella into the house to begin with and thus bringing temptation with her, this would never have happened if Rosalie hadn't tried to take things into her own hands, fueled by her hatred and jealousy.

And so they waited.

Edward sat, unmoving by Bella's bed. Carlisle monitored her every half-hour, Esme taking the readings when he was called to the hospital. Emmett kept Rosalie out in the garage tuning and retuning the cars. Alice kept Jasper company, assuring him that he was still wanted and loved by everyone in the family.

The first night the house felt like a tomb. No one moved, no one spoke. No one voiced any opinions about what had happened. No one bothered to turn on any lights. No one hunted. Edward privately compared it to a deathwatch.

The next day passed as quietly though Rosalie and Emmett went to their room to get clean clothes before going out again. Edward and the others largely ignored her, though Esme made a point of hugging Emmett.

As the sun went down Carlisle made a point of putting on some lights in an effort to dispel the gloom. Jasper made a hesitant appearance in Edward and Bell's room, relieved when Edward glanced at his entrance and nodded an acknowledgement then allowed him to stay. A little while later Alice silently joined them.

"_Thank you, Edward."_

He nodded at her in reply. He didn't blame Jasper and felt badly for him, though he wasn't sure what he'd do if Bella died.

"Rosalie feels terrible; she's afraid of you, of what you'll do. She wanted me to ask you not to be angry with Emmett."

He looked over at Alice and spoke so softly that even vampire ears had trouble hearing him. "I'm not angry with anyone. I…don't care about anyone else right now, Alice. All I care about is my wife and her recovery, whatever form that takes. Anything else can wait until after that happens." He turned back to Bella, his hand gently rubbing hers as he brought it to his face and carefully kissed the palm before placing back on the bedding. The others in the room were dismissed as far as he was concerned. He was, vaguely, glad that they were there but in fact didn't really care one way or the other.

"How is she, what's happening?" Esme put her arms around Carlisle, knowing how upset he was by everything that was going on in the house; aside from Bella's condition, she was terrified that her cherished family was falling apart, possibly torn too badly to recover. She was frightened that even if Bella came thorough the transition in a day or two and then made it through the newborn stage unharmed that 'the Cullens' would be reduced to a shadow of what it was just a few days ago.

Carlisle tightened his arms around his wife as well, both of them needing the connection that had sustained them for almost eighty years. "So far it seems that she may be making the change as well as anyone does. He condition is about what I'd expect considering how fragile she was when it happened." He kissed her forehead. "I'll know tomorrow, maybe tomorrow night."

"How is Edward coping?"

"He needs to hunt but won't leave her."

"You know that Rosalie is telling Emmett that she thinks it would be best if they left."

Carlisle nodded. "He told her a little while ago that he thinks that would be a mistake, that they should stay here and see how Bella comes out of it, assuming that she does. He feels it would be better if they stayed to help Edward dealing with her if she becomes a typical newborn."

She sighed. "What does Edward say to that?"

"He won't respond to anything until she wakes up." He gave her a tighter hug then released her. "I'm going to check her again."

Esme looked out the big windows, watching Emmett talk with Rosalie over by the large tree a few hundred yards away, trying to convince her they should stay to help as Rose shook her head 'no'.

Charlie wanted to know just what the hell was going on. He'd heard that Bella and Edward had gotten back from their honeymoon a few days ago and he hadn't heard from her; not a call, not a visit, not an e-mail. Nothing. All right, enough was enough.

***

He drove over to the hospital and walked in the emergency entrance, knowing that Carlisle was scheduled to be on tonight, just like he was most nights. Sure enough, there he was doing some paperwork in his small office. Knocking lightly on the door he went in when Carlisle looked up and half-smiled a welcome. He spoke without preamble. "So, I hear the kids're back."

"Yes, a few days ago."

That was a lot of nothing. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, fine. They came back early because Bella picked up a small respiratory infection. We thought it better that she stay in where I can keep an eye on her until it clears up, otherwise I'm sure she'd have been over to see you."

"It's serious? I mean, they have hospitals in Rio, don't they?"

Carlisle smiled just a bit. "No, it's nothing I haven't seen before but they didn't want her in a foreign hospital where she doesn't even speak the language. She'll be better in a day or so and then I heard Edward say something about the two of them continuing their honeymoon; I believe they're thinking of going up to Canada to see the sights."

"Really?" Charlie was hard pressed to maintain polite, much as he liked Carlisle. There was something that just wasn't jiving here; he was a cop, he knew about these things.

"Would you mind if I drove over to your place to see her? I miss her, 'like to make sure she's okay and all."

"It would be better if you waited a few days or so, until the danger of infection is past." Carlisle sat back and gestured for Charlie to sit in the guest chair on the other side of his desk. "You're worried about her being with Edward, you don't like him." It was a statement of fact, not a question. His expression stayed mild and nonaccusatory.

Fine, Charlie could be direct, too. "He hurt her. Badly. I don't know that he realizes _how_ badly and what he did to her last year."

"He knows that and deeply regrets it. But—you have to understand—he genuinely believed that he was doing the right thing, that she would be happier."

"Maybe she would be."

Carlisle paused, knowing that Charlie disliked Edward but he needed to understand how deeply in love he was and how much the girl meant to him. "I hesitate to even mention this and assume that you'll have the courtesy t keep this between us, but when Edward was mistakenly informed that Bella had been killed it was all his sister could do to prevent his own suicide."

"Excuse me?"

"Unknown to either Esme or myself, Alice flew to Europe and arrived just as he was about to…well, something drastic. It was only when he was made to understand that Bella was fine that he agreed to return home." Carlisle paused a moment. "He cares about your daughter very much."

Charlie just sat there. For the love of God, the kid drops Bella so cruelly that she's a zombie for months and then, if Carlisle is to be believed, tried to kill himself. What happens the next time they have an argument? And this adolescent, this _kid_ is married to his daughter? Christ. Okay, he took a deep breath. It wouldn't last. As soon as Bella took a step back, maybe grew up a little and saw things for what they were she'd come to her senses.

She had to.

And if she didn't he'd give Renee a call. The two of them would sit her down and make her see some reason.

"You said she'd be better in a few days, right? I'll be over then."

***

Up in the bedroom on the third night since the incident, Edward still sat holding her hand, waiting for something, anything, to happen.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Ten**

**Memya, Empress of Edit**

Bella became aware of her surroundings a few minutes before she opened her eyes. Being unconscious and so near death from the blood loss, she had been spared most of the torture of the transformation. Only now, as she struggled to wake up to the endless first and last day of her existence, did she begin to notice how she felt. She had no idea what had happened to her.

Then she swallowed and thought that she must be very sick, having the worst sore throat she could ever remember, an agony each time she tried to swallow. Her throat felt raw, like it was being scrubbed with sandpaper, tongue dried out and stuck to the roof of her mouth. She vaguely recalled feeling as if she was burning and knew she must have had a high fever. She felt someone holding her hand and opened her eyes.

"Bella?" Edward said . . . or was that Edward? She looked at the young man sitting holding her hand and felt confused. He resembled her gorgeous husband and was a handsome man but he didn't look quite like Edward. This person didn't have the pale perfect features but, instead looked like a plainer version of him, still strikingly handsome but not the perfection she'd always known. The black eyes stared at her from a face that was not quite Edward. The same tousled hair and strong bone structure but the stunning splendor of his heavenly face was missing. What had happened to him?

"How do you feel?" he asked, never taking his eyes from her face.

"Have I been sick?" she asked, confused and not wanting to look at him. Maybe something had happened to her eyes. She knew eyesight could be damaged by a very high fever. Could that be what was making him look different to her?

"You don't remember?" he asked, quietly. "Let me get Carlisle," and he stood up and walked to the door. She watched him move, wondering if he'd been sitting by her for a long time as he didn't move with his usual grace nor was his voice the angelic sound she recalled. He looked and sounded just ordinary. What had happened?

She heard Edward outside the door, call softly for Carlisle, then the sound of Carlisle's step on the stairs and they both re-entered the room together.

Bella stared at Carlisle. Where were his movie star good looks? He was a nice-looking blond man still but nothing more.

"Bella," Carlisle said, coming to where she lay in the bed. "How do you feel?"

"What's going on? Edward asked me the same thing. I have a terrible sore throat. Have I been sick long? I can't seem to remember. Edward, I need a glass of water. Could you get it for me, please?" she said, sitting up and shoving the hair out of her eyes. Edward didn't move but continued to watch her warily.

"You don't remember what happened?" Carlisle asked, gently.

"We came home from our honeymoon because I'm pregnant," she stated, moving her hand to her flat taut stomach. She looked down at herself, then her eyes met Carlisle's as the memory of her loss returned to her. "Oh," she said, her hand dropping away. She had vague fleeting images of hearing an argument in the hallway, getting up to see what was wrong, opening the door and falling into Edward's arms, Rosalie`s angry glare and Jasper`s sharp teeth coming toward her. She didn't understand what it all meant.

"Bella," Carlisle began, "we had to change you. There was too much blood loss and there wasn't any other way. I hope you can understand."

Shocked, she sprang up out of the bed, quicker than she'd ever been able to move, throwing herself back against the wall of the bedroom, cracking the plaster as she thrust herself away from Carlisle and Edward. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror over the dresser on the other side of the room and moved toward it faster than she could think of moving, crashing into it, splintering the wood but she didn`t feel the impact.

Her eyes had bright red pupils but otherwise she looked the same. The incision on her stomach was gone along with the pain of it as well as the long scar on the inside of her forearm where she`d been stitched after the accident at her birthday party. She turned back to them, whirling around twice, not in control of her newborn vampire strength and speed. She stopped and faced the two of them.

"No, you couldn't! You wouldn't! Now when I wasn't ready. Not when I didn't want it, not when I wanted to try again for a baby. You wouldn't take that away from me!" she hissed at them.

"Bella, please try to be calm," Carlisle said, holding his hands out to his sides and advancing slowly toward her. Edward was creeping toward her from the other side.

"I'm dying of thirst!" she screamed at the two of them, clutching her throat, realizing that she wasn't dying but already dead. She felt fury such as she had never known and thought with total clarity that she wanted to kill the two of them, rend them limb from limb and ignite the writhing pieces, right here in her bedroom.

Having seen it several time before in other members of his family, Carlisle could read the expression on her face and ceased his advance toward her, stepping instead to the door and calling for Emmett and Jasper.

* * *

Charlie had been calling Carlisle for three days now, asking how his daughter was, always getting the same answer. She was doing as well as could be expected, they thought she'd make a full recovery but she still couldn't come to the phone and there was still a risk of infection so he couldn't stop by and see her. Three days! He'd had enough and was out of patience. There was something here that just didn't add up, he was certain of it.

When Edward had first come on the scene, from the night of their first date, there had been something odd between his daughter and that boy. One date and she had been so in love with him that she'd run away from him, not wanting to be trapped in Forks like her mother.

The memories of that night still ached when he remembered them. He didn't think he'd made such a bad life for Bella and her mother that she'd need to run away from the possibility of it. Geez, it had been their first date. How had Renee raised her?

She'd been injured that time because the boy had chased after her. That accident, when she'd fallen down the stairs and through the window, had been Edward's fault. She wouldn't have been hurt if it wasn't for him.

Then, he'd taken her into the woods and broken her heart, or he assumed that was what happened since they'd never spoken about it to him to this day. What kind of young man does that? He'd lived with her those months when Edward was gone and couldn't get the look in her eyes out of his head. Something in her had died that night and Carlisle tells him the kid was suicidal? Did Bella know how crazed Edward was when she married him? Something wasn't right about the two of them. He hadn't wanted his daughter to get married but the girl was eighteen and he couldn't stop her.

Enough, Charlie thought in disgust. He would go out to the Cullens' house and make them let him see her. He was the police chief after all, he'd use his civil authority if need be but he'd see his daughter today. He put on his jacket, slipped the gun into its holster at his waist and headed out to the car.

* * *

Emmett and Jasper flew up the stairs to Edward's room, stopping just inside the doorway, assessing the situation. Jasper immediately sent out calming waves toward Bella, hoping he could help diffuse the situation.

Bella was half-crouched, snarling at Edward, who was staring at her in open-mouthed horror. He'd known the newborn year would be difficult but there seemed to be no trace of the woman he loved in the creature he was facing. He'd seen newborns in his long existence before and her newborn bloodlust seemed to be laced with an underlying rage that he wasn't prepared for and didn't know how to deal with it.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett said, trying for casual conversation. "Want to go hunting with us? You'll feel a lot better once you aren't so thirsty. That thirst, it's a killer," he said, laughing lightly. "How about it?"

"Were you in on this whole plot?" she questioned Emmett, never taking her eyes from Edward.

"Plot?" Emmett asked, sincerely confused by the question. "I just want to go hunting. Come on, let's head out, maybe take down a few mountain lions or even a bear if we get lucky."

Bella shifted her eyes from Edward to Emmett and back. She wasn't thirsty for animal blood. She wanted salty, tangy human blood and suddenly she smelled it and closed her eyes, breathing it in. Was there anything in the world that had ever smelled that delicious?

She feinted toward Edward who stepped backward as Emmett and Jasper lunged toward her. She picked up Emmett and tossed him like a rag doll toward Jasper, knocking them both to the floor. Edward grabbed her from behind, trying to restrain her and she drove an elbow hard into his ribs, forcing him to let go. There was only Carlisle left between her and the door and she shoved him aside and raced down the stairs just as she heard an insistent knock on the front door.

Alice, a look of horror dawning on her face, yelled her name, trying to stop her, as Bella sped toward the door, but there was nothing anyone could do. She was too fast, too strong and too intent on quenching her thirst.

Bella pulled on the doorknob, yanking the door off the hinges and tossing it aside. Charlie stood there, eyes wide as he stared at the monster who had been his daughter. She looked the same, though maybe a bit prettier, except for the red eyes and pallor and his daughter had never had that kind of strength. He didn't have time to consider what had happened to her as she grabbed him for what he thought was a hug.

"Hey, Bells," was the last thing Charlie Swan ever said as his daughter snapped his neck and sank her razor sharp teeth in his throat, drawing the blood out of his body in huge gulps.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Way It Could Have Happened**

**Part Eleven**

**Simon 920  
**

Bella dropped Charlie's body on the front steps and disappeared into the woods, Edward following on her heels with Alice and Jasper in close pursuit.

They went miles at full speed, running full out, waiting for Bella to either tire or become distracted by something along the way. Headed north, Jasper began to wonder if they had crossed over into Canada yet, if maybe Alice had seen where this was going to end. Would Bella calm down before she'd murdered too many people for them to reasonably cover up or would they be forced to move yet again just as they were settled in the area? Rosalie would pitch yet another fit if that happened and even Emmett would be hard pressed to have her keep even a semblance of a lid on it

This wasn't going to be easy; Charlie dead back at the house would be a problem. Of course Carlisle could come up with some plausible explanation but if Charlie was merely the first in a long series, well...

Finally, finally after almost a dozen hours of straight running, Bella slowed a bit, eventually coming to a complete stop six hundred miles north of the border. Edward was still keeping pace, close by with Jasper and Alice trailing a few hundred yards behind. He stayed a dozen of so yards away from his wife, slowly and very cautiously approaching while she ignored him, staring at a small waterfall she'd found.

"Bella?" No answer.

"Bella. Can you hear me?" Nothing. He moved a few feet closer.

"Would you like to hunt with me? Are you thirsty?" She inclined her head but still didn't respond.

"I'm sure I smell some deer and a grizzly not too far from here, would you like to see with me?" She shifted her weight enough that she seemed to agree then half turned to glance at him before smiling, her newly changed teeth glinting in the sun.

Raising her arm she stopped, mesmerized by the look of her new skin, throwing rainbows around the clearing, her smile widened and she laughed with pure happiness. "I had no idea—this is wonderful!"

"Yes, you'll find out how much as time goes by." He held out his hand, moving within inches of her. "Shall we hunt?"

She let him lead her down into a smallish valley where they found a herd of deer, stopping long enough to feed on several with Alice and Jasper joining in but not intruding on the newlyweds. Bella turned to Edward. "I'm a newborn, aren't I?"

"Yes, love. You just woke a few hours ago. You're doing very well." This caused her to smile again, smearing the blood on her face.

Edward took off his jacket and used it to wipe off as much as he could as she spoke to him. "Why do you look so boring? Are you tired?"

Edward knew what she was referring to." No, this is how I look to other vampires. There's no need to attract them as with humans. We're not as attractive to one another." He tossed the bloodied jacket behind a tree. "Are you disappointed?"

"Yes." She looked around, fixing her eyes on Alice and Jasper for a long moment. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere in southern Canada. I'm not sure exactly."

"Alice? What do you see happening next?" The sun was setting behind the trees.

Alice stepped forward and spoke softly, hesitantly but with honesty. "I see you going to a small village and killing almost everyone in it."

Edward knew what Alice was going to say before she said it, of course. "We'll all stay with you, prevent it from happening, Bella. Don't worry."

She gave him a sweet smile the started off again, moving at more like a lope than a full out run. In less than an hour and a half they were all on top of a ridge overlooking another valley, thick with trees and with a small river running along the bottom. There was a hamlet with maybe twenty or so small houses and one main street. "Bella, don't. We'll find more animals."

"But Edward, I don't like them as much. I want to drink human blood." She sounded a cross between exasperation and petulance.

Jasper came with a few yards. "It's wrong, Bella. I know it's what you want, but it's wrong."

She gave him the same sweet smile and a small shrug then switched to vamp-speed and was inside the first house in a millisecond; the family didn't have a chance to even scream. Quickly she moved onto the second and then third homes. The other three tried to stop her but she had a newborn's strength and they were no match for her. There was nothing they could do unless she cooperated or they caused her real damage and they knew Edward wouldn't allow that. Inside of an hour she killed and drained almost twenty people from young children to grandparents.

The others did what they could to stop her, they did and they bore the injuries to prove it. Alice had been thrown through two buildings, one after the other without stopping due to the force Bella used in her punch. Next, Jasper, driven mad by bloodlust had drained everyone Bella hadn't, including the dogs. Edwards though…Edward. He suffered the worse. Bella simply bit off his right hand, followed by his left ear.

"Bella, love it's all right, they'll regenerate in no time. Don't be upset, don't blame yourself."

Her answer was a loud growl, a hiss and then the loss of Edward's nose.

"I won't leave you, love. I promise you. We'll see this thing through together, I swear." She struck out with her arm, pinning her husband and snapping her teeth at his neck.

"Ohmigod", she thought; "Who knew he'd have so much venom spewing out when his head fell off?"

This vampire thing was a hoot!

***

She heard a harsh buzzing; her alarm was going off. There was there an alarm clock in the ruins of a Canadian village with all the inhabitants' dead? It didn't make any sense. Her eyes weren't wanting to open yet and her mouth tasted like dead muse turds. Weird. Forcing her eyes to focus, she looked around the dismal little room, the ancient curtains and stained rug, the yuck color the walls were painted with. Cripes, she was supposed to live _here_?

It was damp, it was chilly—no, it was frigging cold and she wanted, more than anything in the world to turn roll and go back to sleep. But… "Bells, you up? Get a move on, okay?"

"Oh, man…" Charlie.

Forks.

Washington State.

God.

Oh, yeah, she'd moved here, arrived yesterday. This was her first day in school in the land of Podunk and crappy weather. This was a nightmare. The kids would all either ignore her or hate her. The boys would all be geeks and dweebs and the girls would all be beyotches and mean girls—the ones who didn't sell Girl Scout cookies, that was. And, naturally, she didn't have anything to wear that would keep her warm in this constantly dripping freezer she'd landed in.

And, damn, that was a strange dream.

Oh, and Jacob was a werewolf? _Jacob?_ Yeah, right. Vampires? She'd married some hunky vampire and moved in with his entire vamp family? Uh-huh, sure she did. Like she ever wanted to get married—not. Then she had an insta-baby that wasn't, ended up a vamp herself for some dumb reason and went nuts? Killed Charlie? Wiped out an entire village?

Yeah, sure. Okay, whatever.

Man, no more too spicy Indian food after eight PM and that's all there was to it.

Dragging herself to the shower and then down to breakfast she was ready to go in twenty-five minutes when Charlie, with a scary look of bashful pride on his face made her go outside. There he showed her this ancient, about to fall apart into a pile of rust pick-up truck that looked like he'd bought it at some sale of Civil war antiques and handed her the key.

The day was starting out even worse than she'd thought possible.

She found the school, signed in, got her schedule and wandered around from class to class. One was more horrible than the last until lunch and then—damn—a mega-hunk strolled in and sat down with some other hunks and hunkettes at the far table. Sure, they were all really pasty skinned (get out much?) and weird but they were the best looking things in this stupid burg. The odd man out? The one with the reddish hair? Not bad. Not bad _at all_ and he was even staring at her. A quick gossip told her they were local celebrities, rich and total snobs who never even spoke to anyone besides their own stupid family.

Well, cool—nothing like a challenge, right? And when he sat down beside her in bio? Oh yeah, she could work with this, thank you very much.

Things were looking up.


End file.
